Admin l Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018
ABUJA, Nigeria – The House of Representatives has mandated its Committee on Police Affairs to investigate the curious transfer of eight police commissioners to the Bayelsa State Command in three months. The House presided over by its Speaker, the Rt. Honourable Yakubu Dogara, directed the Committee on Police Affairs to report its findings to the House in two weeks.
The decision of the House followed a motion under urgent public importance by the member representing the Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma Constituency of Bayelsa, Hon. Douye Diri, which called the attention of the House to the erratic posting of police commissioners to Bayelsa State in the last three months. The motion with the title, ‘Need to curb insecurity in Bayelsa State through erratic deployment of Commissioners òf Police to the State’ was supported by Honorable Fred Agbedi, Henry Daniel-Ofongo, Sodaguwo Festus-Omoni and Foingha Jephta who are members of the Bayelsa Cacus in the House.
Diri urged the House to “mandate its Committee on Police Affairs to investigate the motive behind the erratic deployment of eight commissioners of police to Bayelsa State in the last three months and to report back to the house within two weeks for legislative action.”
Diri expressed deep worry that the frequent transfer of police commissioners to Bayelsa which he put at an average of a police commissioner every ten days, had created growing apprehension in the citizenry which could lead to break down of law ahead of the 2019 general elections.
He argued in the motion that the instability in the police leadership over the months had made it impossible for the state Governor, the Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson, to develop lasting synergy with them to ensure peace and tranquility in the state. Diri and those who supported the motion are worried that the “eccentric conduct” had persisted in spite of the reservations expressed on the matter by the Governor, government and people of Bayelsa State.
The lawmakers argued that “consistency is important in building trust, bridging the gap between the police and citizens to ensure effective and efficient operations of the police.”
The motion which was moved on the floor of the House on Wednesday was unanimously adopted and the Committee on Police Affairs mandated to probe the disturbing transfer of police commissioners to Bayelsa.
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